Automatic oiler.



Patented May 15, I900. J. F. McENTEE.

AUTOMATIC OILER.

(Application filed Sept. 6, 1898.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT Omen.

JOHN FRANCIS MCENTEE, OF KAlIULlTI, llAlVAll.

AUTOMATIC OILER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 649,671, dated May 15,1900.

Application filed September 6, 1898. Serial No. 690,353. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LJOHN FRANCIS M OENTEE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kahului, in the island of Maui, Hawaii, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Oilers and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates generally to automatic oilers, and moreparticularly to devices for automatically oiling the journals in caraxleboxes; and it has for one object to pro duce a device of this classwhich will possess the requisite of compactness and durability and whichwill be especially simple and inexpensive in construction and efficientin operation.

Besides the usual contents of the box or chamber-namely,the journal ofthe car-axle, the lubricant, and brasses-there is always provided avehicle for the lubricant in the form of waste, tow, or cotton. Now toperfoot this delivery or conveying of the lubricant to the journal andinsure its constant and even motion, and at the same time in anautomatic manner, is the prime object of my invention.

Other objects and advantages of my in vention will hereinafter appear,and the novel features thereof will be particularl y set forth in theappended claim.

The objects of my invention I am enabled to accomplish by the meansillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of a car-axle box, the cover, head, and side wall beingpurposely broken away to show the relative arrangement of the containedparts. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the box andcontained parts. Fig. 3 is a section through the line a: m, Fig. 2; andFig. 4 is a view of a portion of the spring employed.

Referring now to the above views by numerals and ietters, 1 representsan ordinarilyformed car-axle box adapted to rest in the usual hanger orpedestal of a car and within which the journal portion of the axle 4 isheld in place by the brass or saddle 3, the latter being formed as inordinary boxes. It

is manifest that the vertically-elongated perforation 7 in the rear end6 of the box is for the purpose of permitting frictional wearing.

The usual method of accomplishing the oiling of the journal is throughthe medium of a vehicle situated beneath the journal and saturatedthrough the front inclined cover 2. The employment of this methodnecessitates constant inspection to guard against a hot box and itsdangerous and expensive results. Now to guard against this objection andprovide simple, durable, and efficient means for antomatically liftingthe oil to the bottom of the journal I have constructed the spring 8,which is situated beneath the journal and is formed of a thin sheet ofmetal one end of which is bent to form the upper spring-leg I), whilethe opposite extremity c is carried upward and backward to rest beneaththe outer end of this leg. The lower portion a rests against the bottom5 of the box. It is manifest from this construction that between the legI) and bottom a is formed a reservoir or cavity 11.

Within the cavity 11 I have arranged the tow or other oil-vehicle w andcaused its strands to protrude through perforations in the leg I). Theseperforations are formed with a turned-up or jagged edge m,which besidesholding the tow in place affords the additional function of preventingthe journal from wearing away the wick.

In order to hold the spring 8 in place, I have caused the headed bolt 9to pass through it and the bottom 5 of the box, where it is held by thenut 10.

Having thus fully described the general construction of my invention, Iwill now explain its operation.

Accepi ing the assumption as an established fact that no matter how wellbuilt a railroad may be there are varying irregularities in theelevation of abutting rails as well as gaps be tween the ends thereof.This latter condition is absolutely necessary to compensate for theexpansion and contraction of the rails. Now as the wheels of the trainmeet these irregularities or gaps there occurs the familiar jarring orconcussion, which consequently I have utilized in affording theautomatic aotion of my oiler. It is manifest that sinful.-

taneous with this jarring effect the upper leg I) of the spring 8 willspring downward and immediately return to its normal position and in. sodoing cause the oil to move upward through the saturated vehicle to thejournal, thereby accomplishing the desired result. It is furthermanifest that the relativearrangement of the spring and box eifectivelyprevents the packing from gradually working out of place and carryingthe oil outside the box.

I am aware that various changes in the form, number, and proportion ofparts of the devices shown and described can be made without departingfrom the spirit of my invention or sacrificing any of its advantages,and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes and alterationsas fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An automatic oiler for journal-boxes comprising a U-shaped resilientmember, one leg of said member being adapted to rest against the undersurface of said journal, while the other leg rests on the bottom of saidbox, a series of spurs being turned upward and forming openings in saidlegs, an oil-vehicle between said legs and protruding through theopenings in said upper leg and a projection formed integral on saidlower leg and turned backward toward said upper leg, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN FRANCIS MCENTEE.

Witnesses:

J. MCANDREWS, OHAs. A. KIBLING.

